Conventionally, in a networked environment, a server farm may use pre-existing security domains to permit servers within the server farm to authenticate themselves to each other. However, not all environments support or normally provide security domains. One example of a popular environment that does not normally provide security domains is the Unix/Linux operating system.
Environments that support security domains may comprise multiple types of security domains. In such environments, authentication across multiple security domains may not be possible. For example, certain types of security domains may not allow authentication of other types of security domains. In some instances, certain domains within the environment may allow authentication while other domains do not.
Environments that support security domains may also comprise multiple types of servers, some of which support security domains while others do not. Further, a domain in the environment may comprise both servers that allow authentication and servers that do not allow authentication. In such environments, authentication from one server to another may not be possible.
A method of authenticating a server in a server farm by a second server in the server farm would be desirable in environments that do not support or normally provide security domains and in environments comprising multiple varying security domains or servers. A method of requesting and granting membership in a server farm would be desirable in such environments to facilitate the secure construction of the server farm.